ReFS Data Deduplication Microsoft Windows Server 2016

Certainly you have heard about the newest Microsoft file system were the most important topic is about the resiliency in a very large scale of data sets, like millions of terabytes. In such big massive storage you may have doubts about the data integrity. That is the reason why Microsoft designed ReFS, Resilient File System. The Resiliency of the data set is guarded by features that correct errors on the go.

As we all know the key factor of our storage is about the Data Deduplication. In the early ReFS release this feature was not an option.

I love to check new features and I get uninterested when all the systems just works smoothly for that reason I’ve joined the Microsoft Windows Insider program and I am testing the latest functionalities.

Windows Server 2016 counts with several new features. One of them is the availability to use Data Deduplication in a ReFS Volume.

In this Post I will show you, how to check, enable use and manage the Data Deduplication in Windows Server 2016 Insider Preview release 16237 for ReFS formatted volume.

Management scenario number one: Via Server Manager from a Windows Server 2016 Version 1607 Build 14393. This is an older release which is approved to be in production environments.

Windows Server 2016 1607 – Production environment.

Management Scenario number two: Via PowerShell-Direct

PowerShellDirect

You need to install the Server Role File and Storage Services, Data Deduplication, be sure to add this member server to your Server Manager

Server Manager

Find Data Deduplication and click next. Restart the server.

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Data Deduplication role

Make sure you have at least one ReFS volume in order to check Data Deduplication.

Prepared ReFS volume for Data Deduplication

Check ReFS volumes information using PowerShell

Enable ReFS Data Deduplication

Since Data Deduplication for ReFS is still in development in this particular case the production server cannot offer Data Deduplication management via Server Manager for ReFS volumes. The option is greyed out.

ReFS Data Duplication management

Now you count with Data Deduplication Capabilities, but how to manage Data Deduplication on ReFS?

Get-Command or gcm *dedup*

The command to start ReFS Data Deduplication is Enable-Dedupvolume E:

Now let’s put some files in that volume and duplicate them. I just found a Microsoft Windows 95 Installation media. Just for fun.

Duplication of data

Take a note about the size on disk. Now while everything is hardly duplicated.

Be aware about the size on disk. And create the Deduplication scheduled job